We won’t apologise to Nigeria, says S-Africa

AN end to the raging diplomatic row between Nigeria and South Africa kick-started by the latter’s deportation of 125 Nigerians, including a serving senator over alleged possession of fake yellow fever vaccine certificates is not in sight.

Reason: South Africa is not ready to apologise for the dehumanising treatment and Nigeria is ready to reciprocate the ‘gesture’ with equal measure.

Feelers from both countries show that there will be more deportations on both sides as the South African government has refused to admit wrong doing and apologise as demanded by Nigeria government. A Foreign Affairs source said, “we are demanding unreserved apology from South Africa for this ill-treatment of Nigerian travelers or else, we will take more drastic actions.”

A highly placed Nigerian foreign affairs official confirmed yesterday that South Africa had persistently complained to the Nigerian government that most Nigerians coming to South Africa enter the country with fake documents but that Nigeria had not addressed the issue.

The deportation last Friday of 125 Nigerians from the Oliver Tambo International Airport in Johanesburg after denying them entry into the country for allegedly possessing fake yellow fever certificates was a good opportunity, according to South Africa, to let Nigeria know that they were serious about their complaint especially as a serving senator was involved.

Indeed, Vanguard learnt yesterday that Nigeria was not unaware that 125 Nigerians were to be deported. The source said Nigeria wanted South African Government to quarantine the deported Nigerians accused of possessing fake yellow vaccine certificates, give them the right vaccine and charge them the cost in dollars and then allow them enter South Africa. This was to save Nigeria diplomatic embarrassment as a serving senator was involved

It would be recalled that Nigeria retaliated on Tuesday by deporting 28 South Africans, who were denied entry into Lagos. The 28 passengers flew into the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos aboard a South African Airways flight at about 9.30 pm. A source said: “The Federal Government decided to deny these 28 South Africans entry because of invalid documents and relevant health certificate clearance. We are also deporting them back to South Africa. The Presidency has been notified of this action. We will no longer overlook certain procedures which we have condoned in the spirit of African brotherhood.”

Nigeria, Tuesday, deported 58 South Africans.Also, yesterday, another 37 South Africans were deported. They were said to have arrived the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja at 8.30 pm aboard a South African Airways.

According to Airport sources, immediately the aircraft arrived and all the passengers disembarked and were going through immigration formalities, the South Africans among them were fished out and made to stay together before being deported to their country.

Earlier yesterday, Nigeria had threatened to retaliate South Africa’s maltreatment of Nigerians. Interior Affairs Minister, Abba Moro who spoke to reporters at the Presidential Villa in Abuja said: “I want to assure you on one thing. The Federal Government has the capacity to reciprocate appropriately if it is found that the deportation of Nigerians was not done in good faith. At the moment, Nigeria maintains a very cordial diplomatic relations with South Africa and I can assure you that we will react appropriately if it is found that South Africa has taken unfriendly action against Nigeria.”

S/A envoy summoned

Also, on Tuesday, the Federal Government summoned the South African High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Kingsley Mambolo. When he got to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he was asked to see the Permanent Secretary, Ambassador Martin Uhomoibhi, instead of the Minister of Foreign Affairs to explain why South Africa maltreated Nigerian travelers, last Friday. According to sources, “when the South African High Commissioner got to the Ministry, the Permanent Secretary was directed to ask him to explain why 125 Nigerians were deported without diplomatic courtesy. He spent about an hour interacting with the Permanent Secretary, but Nigeria was not convinced about the explanation given by South Africa.

The House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, Tuesday, asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Olugbenga Ashiru, to appear before it to clarify Nigeria’s relationship with other African countries. The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on the Diaspora Affairs, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has asked the Federal Government to apply the principle of reciprocity in dealing with South Africa.

.

Read More...

Angry Nigeria deports 56 more South Africans in retaliation

The diplomatic face-off between the Federal Government of Nigeria and South Africa following the deportation from South Africa of 125 Nigerians, including a Senator has now taken another turn. The face-off has caused issues for South African owned companies in Nigeria, and Nigerians with business and personal ties with South Africa. Last Friday, 125 Nigerians who travelled to South Africa aboard Arik Air and South African Airlines flights were deported on arrival in Johannesburg allegedly because they were carrying fake yellow fever vaccine cards.

This action which was described as a “harsh and unfriendly treatment” by most Nigerians has sparked off some retaliatory actions by Nigerian government. In apparent retaliation to the treatment, 28 South Africans who arrived Nigeria on Monday night were deported back to South Africa and the Federal Government has threatened to go tough on South African companies operating in Nigeria.

The ongoing Arise Magazine Fashion Week in Lagos has also been distrupted as SA designers scheduled to show are caught up in the diplomatic row.

Yesterday, the Foreign Affairs Minister, Olugbenga Ashiru, who is also the former High Commissioner to South Africa said the South Africans were deported from Lagos because of irregular travel documents, adding that this was only the beginnng of retaliatory moves. He said this while addressig the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, noting that the Federal Government would soon sanction South African firms for bringing half-baked graduates to occupy positions that could be occupied by Nigerians.

He added that Nigeria has asked the South African government to apologise and pay compensation to the affected travellers and Arik Air.

Also in response to the deportation, the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, said at a press briefing in Abuja yesterday that none of the deported Nigerians is in possession of fake yellow fever cards as alleged by the South African authorities. Classification by the World Health Organisation indicates that Nigeria is one of the 44 countries with a risk of exposure to the yellow fever virus.

However, the Health Minister added that the last confirmed case of yellow fever in Nigeria was in 1995 and that Nigeria is not at risk of a yellow fever outbreak. According to him, the Port Health Services of the Ministry issue Yellow Fever cards and vaccines at all local and international airports, land borders and sea ports in the country. The vaccine is given free but fee of N500 is charged for the card.

He called on South Africa to stop politicizing health issues, saying that so far, no country, individual or group has made any report to the Ministry on the possession of fake yellow fever card by any Nigerian. He noted that the entry visas were given to the travellers after the presentation of their valid yellow fever cards, therefore it was wrong for South Africa to say they were in posession of fake yellow fever cards after they had been issued valid visas. The action by the South African immigration towards Nigerian travellers he said, was an embarrasment and was against the IHR 2005 Article 32.

The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora Affairs, Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa, also condemned the deportation which she termed as “illegal”, saying it was done in an “inhuman manner”. In a statement issued in Abuja yesterday Dabiri-Erewa described the act as “continuous unwarranted hostilities against Nigerians by the South Africa government’’.

She lamented that the 125 Nigerians, including women and children, were delayed for 24 hours without water and food in an inhuman condition and then bundled back to Nigeria. She added that Nigerians do not ask South Africans to fill Yellow Fever Cards when coming in to Nigeria even though passengers must have passed through this process while applying for the visa in the Embassy. Mrs Dabiri-Erewa also said that Nigerians, including women and children joined in the fight against apartheid in South Africa and it was an unfair and unAfrican way to pay Nigerians back for their kind gesture.

The Senate Committee in response to Mr Ashiru’s presentation, told him to go and close the Nigerian Embassy in South Africa and close the South African Embassy in Nigeria adding that any of their companies handling projects in Nigeria should be stopped.

Nigeria and South Africa are Africa’s economic giants and as this face-off deepens, there are worries over the survival and operations of South African companies in Nigeria.

The biggest mobile telecommunication company in Nigeria is MTN, a South African company. Stanbic-IBTC Bank, supermarket chain Shoprite, Multichoice DSTV are some major South African companies in Nigeria whose stakes in Nigeria could be threatened if a quick resolve is not brought to the face-off. Also, there are a good number of Nigerians studying, working or living in South Africa and vice-versa, whose activities could be hampered if a resolve doesn’t happen soon.

Read More...

Nigeria, S’Africa diplomatic row: Senators want S’African companies sacked

MOVED by the deportation of Nigerians by the South African government, senators Tuesday asked the Federal Government to shut down all South African companies and immediately close the nation’s embassy in that country.

This came on a day the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Gbenga Ashiru, to invoke the tenets of reciprocity against the South African government, just as Health Minister, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, dislcosed in Abuja yesterday that the last case of yellow fever in the country was recorded in 1995.

Also, Lagos State House of Assembly condemned in strong terms the deportation of 125 Nigerians by the South African government, and expressed dismay over the shabby manner they were treated, even as Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, summoned South African Airways, Arik Air, security agencies and other stakeholders in the aviation sector over the incident.

According to the senators, the South Africa government has murdered sleep, and can, therefore, not see sleep.

The Senate’s move came up yesterday during a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Ashiru Olugbenga.

The senators described as unfortunate the attitude of the South African authorities towards Nigerians, despite the brotherly role Nigeria played during her struggle for independence 18 years ago.

Senator Mudashiru Hussain in his contribution, specifically called for the sacking of all South African-owned companies in Nigeria, insisting that the country had, indeed, declared war against Nigerian and ”we as a nation must reciprocate.”

Speaking before the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Olugbenga Ashiru, told the senators that the deportation of the South African nationals was one out of the many diplomatic measures already listed by the federal government.

He said the federal government had listed some conditions for South Africa to meet to ensure amicable resolution of the diplomatic row occasioned by the recent deportation of 125 Nigerians last week, adding that government was ready to reciprocate this inhuman treatment to South African nationals.

He said: ‘’We are going to look at all these and we are discussing with the ministry of interior to enforce strict compliance of all immigration laws and practices to all nationals. The south African companies are here in Nigeria , making so much money , bringing in half baked graduates as expatriates to manage these companies.”

Amb. Olugbenga told the committee that government would take what he called ‘matured but calculative measures to pay back the country.

Also appearing before the House of Representatives Committee, Amb Ashiru said: “The Nigerian Embassy was not informed before such an act was perpetuated on Nigerians so it was illegal and should be seen from that purview.”

In his response, Ashiru said that “I share the same view with you on the issue but the bi-national Commission headed by the vice presidents of both countries had already started discussions on the issue.

“South Africa does not have a monopoly of deportation as they should not take our friendly business environment for granted.

“We are going to make sure that we convene the next session of the international commission. I want to make one thing clear, African countries, including South Africa, should not take Nigeria’s maturity and the friendliness of our people to foreigners for granted.

“Also they should not take the friendly business environment we have in Nigeria, whereby companies are making more profits from Nigeria than in South Africa for granted. I believe as we go on these are the issues we’ll bring to the table and sort out.

“I believe that the present administration is determined to ensure the dignity of Nigerians anywhere. When you deport two Nigerians from a country, there will be appropriate reaction. It may not be retaliation but we will know that we are responding one way or the other.

“The National Transitional Commission, NTC, was not the cause. The issue of NTC is not the problem that gave rise to the deportation that we were faced with. The underlying problem has to do with the attitude of the ordinary South African to Nigerians.”

Chairman of the committee, Senator Matthew Nwagwu, had earlier described the recent deportation of Nigerians as the height of inhuman treatment, and promised that the Senate would support the ministry of foreign affairs in what ever action it deemed fit to take to pay back the people of South Africa.

In a similar vein, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, Mrs. nnena Elendu-Ukeje, asked the minister to invoke the principle of reciprocity against the South African government, describing the South African government’s action as an affront on Nigeria.

Meanwhile, Health Minister, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, who addressed the press on the issue at the Health Ministry in Abuja , noted that Nigeria was not at risk of Yellow fever, he said the last confirmed case of Yellow fever in Nigeria was in 1995.

According to him, the Port Health Services under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Health vaccinate and issue the Yellow Fever cards to travelers at the airports, sea ports and land borders in Nigeria, while health officials do the same in the states and LGAs.

He faulted South Africa’s reason for the deportation, as possession of valid yellow fever card was a condition for issuing visa to Nigerians in the first instance.

Calling on South Africa to stop politicizing health issues, the minister said the country had acted against International Health Regulations (IHR) on the matter.

Read More...

Nigeria/S-Africa face-off: Reps insist on ‘fire for fire’

THE Chairman of House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, Mrs Nnena Elendu-Ukeje,Tuesday asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Gbenga Ashiru to invoke the tenets of reciprocity in tackling the present face-off between Nigeria and South Africa.

The House Committee had on Monday summoned the Minister to appear before it and explain the relationship between Nigeria and other African Countries over the repatriation of 125 Nigerians aboard South Africa Airline and Arik Air, a Nigerian carrier.

Mrs Elendu-Ukeje did not mince words when she told the Minister that “the whole thing has turned into an affront and the tenets of reciprocity that is the thrust of our diplomatic policy should be invoked in tackling the situation because it was an illegal deportation.”

The Nigerian Embassy was not informed before such an act was perpetuated on Nigerians so it was illegal and should be seen from that purview, Elendu-Ukeje said.

In his response, Ashiru said, “I share the same view with you on the issue but the bi-national Commission headed by both Vice Presidents of both countries had already started discussions on the issue.

“SA does not have a monopoly of deportation as they should not take our friendly business environment for granted.”

“We are going to make sure that we convey the next session of the international commission. I want to make one thing clear, African countries including South Africa should not think Nigeria’s maturity and the friendliness of our people to foreigners for granted.

Also they should not take the friendly business environment we have in Nigeria whereby companies are making more profits from Nigeria than in South Africa for granted. I believe as we go on these are the issues we’ll bring to the table and sort out. I believe that the present administration is determined to ensure the dignity of Nigerians anywhere. When you deport two Nigerians from a country, there will be appropriate reaction. It may not be retaliation but we will know that we are responding one way or the other.

He said “the National Transitional Commission, NTC was not the cause. The issue of NTC is not the problem that gave rise to the deportation that we were faced with. The underlying problem has to do with the attitude of the ordinary South African to Nigerians.

They have a xenophobic attitude towards Nigerians. We have to address this under the international commission between the two countries. Others on immigration procedure, deportation of Nigerians, police harassment, attitude to Nigerians, will be covered under the meeting.

Ashiru said, “We will demand an apology for the act and it will be measure for measure on issues like this.

“South Africa immigration authorities and officials do not have the monopoly of deporting travellers, I’m sure you also saw the newspapers today. So we will get to the root of the problem. South Africa will know that we are very serious on this matter and henceforth any deportation of any Nigeria we will meet it with equal reciprocal measure, we will not let it go ‘”unreciprocated”, that you can take from me, and we intend to do that.”

The Minister further explained that “I was not informed and that’s why we were shocked because for a brotherly country, South Africa should have followed normal diplomatic procedure. You don’t just deport our nationals and deport them back, it’s not done. In fact before they do it, they are supposed to invite our own officials in Jo’burg to come over so that they will parley. But I believe that the immigration officials in South Africa are hostile. “

Read More...

Victim bites off rapist’s tongue

The South African Police Service (SAPS), has said that a rape suspect, whose tongue was bitten off by the victim would appear in court when discharged from hospital.

SAPS spokesman, Lt. Col. Leonard Hlathi, told newsmen in Johannesburg on Tuesday that a teenager bit off a man’s tongue while she was being raped.

“The 17-year-old girl was held up by an armed man and his accomplice, and dragged into a bush on Monday. The man with the gun told his partner to get alcohol and some friends, to gang rape the girl.

“He then forcefully undressed her and began to rape her.

“In the process, the suspect tried to kiss the victim, but she bit off his tongue and ran to a nearby house for help,” he said.

He said the Police were alerted and they tracked down the man and arrested him.

“The man is being kept under police guard in hospital, and is expected to appear in court when discharged.”

He also said the Police was looking for another man whose finger and tongue were bitten off by a woman he raped last Friday.

“The woman was hitch-hiking to Carolina on Friday, when the man gave her a lift around 6p.m.

“The man stopped the car near Mooiplaas farm and hit the woman with a soft drink bottle several times on the upper body; he then dragged the woman to the bushes and raped her.

“While raping the woman, the man tried to kiss her but she bit off half of his tongue, forcing him to jump away in pain.”

Hlathi said the suspect tried to get hold of the woman again, “ She then bit off the little finger of his right hand and ran away, leaving the two body parts at the scene.

“It seemed the man fled with his finger and piece of the tongue, because police did not find them at the scene. We are appealing to members of the public to help us arrest him”.

He said the woman was receiving treatment in a hospital.

“The suspect was still at large. But a case of rape had been opened for investigation.

Read More...

Men sentenced to 18 years for slaying a lesbian

Gay rights advocates in South Africa hailed a judge's sentencing of four men to 18 years each in prison for brutally slaying a 19-year-old lesbian.

Hatred fueled the 2006 stabbing and stoning of Zoliswa Nkonyana, who was targeted because of her s*xual orientation, Magistrate Raadiya Whaten ruled.

Four years' credit was given to Lubabolo Ntlabathi, Sicelo Mase, Luyanda Londzi and Mbulelo Damba, meaning they will spend 14 additional years behind bars.

"The sentence sent a strong message that hate crimes would not be tolerated," national prosecuting attorney spokesman Eric Ntabazalila told the South African Press Association.

Gay rights advocates celebrated Wednesday's ruling.

"It was the first time discrimination based on s*xual orientation was named as an aggravating factor in a South African criminal trial," the Triangle Project gay and lesbian rights group said in a written statement.

Gay marriage is legal in South Africa, which was the first African nation to prohibit discrimination based on s*xual orientation.

Homos*xuality is illegal in most African countries, based on rules left over from the British colonial era, when sodomy laws were introduced.

Despite South Africa's anti-discrimination provisions, attacks based on s*xual orientation persist, rights groups say.

After interviews in six of South Africa's nine provinces last year, New York-based Human Rights Watch concluded that "social attitudes towards homos*xual, bis*xual, and transgender people in South Africa have possibly hardened over the last two decades. The abuse they face on an everyday basis may be verbal, physical, or s*xual -- and may even result in murder"

This week officials from another rights group said they hope this week's sentencing will set a precedent across Africa.

"We hope that this message is heard loud and clear across the rest of the continent, where homophobic discrimination is widespread and where homos*xuality is a crime," the non-profit People Against Suffering, Oppression and Poverty said in a statement.

Read More...

Surfer bitten to death by a shark at South African beach dubbed 'the world's deadliest'

A surfer has been killed by a shark at a South African beach dubbed the world's deadliest following a string of attacks by the killer beasts.

Ngidi Msungubana, 25, died yesterday after being repeatedly bitten as he rode the waves off Second Beach in Port St Johns.

The incident was the sixth fatal shark attack in just five years at the beach, which lies beside the Indian Ocean in South Africa's rural Eastern Cape province.

Officials described how Mr Msungubana fought with the shark yesterday for around five minutes before being dragged bleeding out of the murky water by a lifeguard.

Provincial health spokesman Sizwe Kupelo said: 'The man was surfing and was in water which was only around a metre and a half deep when the shark struck.

'Witnesses who were near him at the time said he wrestled with the shark for around five minutes as the water turned red.

A fellow surfer then helped a lifeguard to get the man out of the sea and onto the beach.

'There happened to be a doctor on the beach who helped to treat the man at the scene, and an ambulance then arrived to take him to hospital.

'However the surfer had been bitten on both of his arms and his stomach and he sadly died on the way to the medical facility.'

Experts said it was believed Mr Msungubana was attacked by a bull shark, which hunt alone and are famously aggressive.

Officials said the bloody incident was the sixth fatal shark attack at Port St Johns' Second Beach since 2007.

Local guesthouse owner and surfing expert Michael Gatcke said a team of specialists had been brought in to study the issue amid the spate of attacks.

He said: 'This is now the sixth attack here in the last five years and people are getting worried about their safety in the sea.

'I can remember the previous attacks clearly - a lifeguard died in 2007 and there were three attacks in 2009.

'There was a fatal attack on a surfer on January 15, 2011, and then this one, exactly a year later.'

He added: 'Experts are now saying this is the world's most dangerous beach for shark attacks and I can believe it.

'The frightening thing is that when you look at the statistics for attacks worldwide, usually only around one in six shark attacks in fatal.

'But here all of the attacks in the last five years have resulted in death.

'It makes you wonder whether the sharks are particularly aggressive, or whether there is some other factor that is causing this problem.

'I think the local authorities need to do more to tackle the problem and warn people about the dangers.'

Officials today issued a fresh safety warning for bathers at the popular beach, which lies along a stretch of largely undeveloped coastline known as the Wild Coast.

Meanwhile public safety chiefs have launched a probe into what caused the spate of attacks.

Mr Kupelo said one theory was that the sharks were attracted to the area to feed on the remains of animals slaughtered during traditional sacrifices.

He said: 'The local community continues in its tradition of slaughtering animals to mark auspicious occasions and for cultural events.

'Sometimes this is done by members of the church or community leaders on the beach or in the river which leads to the sea.

'It is now being thought that perhaps the offal and remains of the animals are attracting the sharks, which are coming in from the deep to feed.

'The latest attack is definitely not the first and we need to examine why this area is becoming so dangerous.

'Perhaps if the link to the traditional ceremonies is proven then the local municipality will need to take steps to prevent this practice.'

Yesterday's death is the latest shark attack in South Africa.

Read More...

South African Police Invade Nigerian Embassy In J'borg

If necessary steps are not taken, a disagreement over visa refusal to some South Africans in Johannesburg during the week may develop into a major diplomatic row between Nigeria and South Africa.



According to a South African newspaper, Saturday Star, some members of a local church had accused the Nigerian Consulate staff of demanding bribes from them before they could be granted visa to the country.



Although the Nigerian Consulate, according to the visa denial victims, hinged the refusal on its inability to verify that the Twelve Apostles Church in Christ to which the 68 members belonged was duly registered in Nigeria, the South Africans insisted that they were treated so because they did not give bribe.

They were said to be travelling to Nigeria to attend an annual prayer meeting of the church in Nigeria and that they had booked for air tickets and accommodation with a sum of R500, 000. They also claimed that their passports were returned with cancelled visas on them.

According to Saturday Star, a member of the church delegation, Thami Khanyile, said they were bluntly asked to pay the bribe before their visas were issued. She said a consulate official told them that staff had been sweating over 68 visas "for nothing."

"When we stated that we were not willing to pay a bribe, the officials reacted angrily and proceeded to revoke the visas which had already been issued on our passports. They told us that the Nigerian church which we were visiting did not provide them with a genuine certificate that our church was registered. We saw this as a ploy to try and solicit bribe from us.

"We called the police to come to our rescue because they refused to hand our passports back.

"We wanted to open a case, but we were advised to take this through international relations," Khanyile was quoted to have said.

However, reports had it that the arrival of heavily armed policemen from Bramley police station was to aggravate the drama as upon being denied access by consular officials, they attempted force entry and tried to scale the electric fence. The local newspaper also published CCTV camera pictures of the policemen arguing with security staff and officials of the embassy in their bid to gain entry into the premises.

Sources at the consular were quoted to have said the church members had tried to stage an "illegal sit in" at the consulate after they were told to return the next day with additional documents.

"Police ordered the guard on duty to open the gate and when he refused, they threatened to gain entry by force," the source was quoted.

Another source was quoted: "They acted in violation of diplomatic protocols and will have to answer serious questions for invading Nigeria."

However, the local paper reported that the spokesman for the Department of International Relations, Clayson Monyela, commented that the department would raise the issues through diplomatic channels with its counterpart.

Also, the spokesperson of the South African Police (SAPS), Captain Dennis Adriao, was quoted as saying that the organisation would investigate, "once official complaint" was received, adding that "the SAPS respects international diplomatic protocols and any violation of these protocols will be seen in serious light."

Read More...

Teenage girl set ablaze by friends for satanic ritual.

Kirsty Theologo an 18 year old South African woman is currently in a coma after suffering burns over three quarters of her body, damaging her lungs and throat. 

She was doused in petrol and set alight by her friends in a park in southern Johannesburg.

Provincial police spokeswoman Captain Pinky Tsingane said some of the other girls in the group had been tied up and there was speculation the attack was a satanic ritual. 

Lending credence to this speculation is the report from one of the girls in the group that as Kirsty was burning, one boy cut another girl’s hand and held it over a Bible so that the blood could soak it.

A 16-year-old girl tried to put out the flames by rolling Kirsty Theologo in the sand, burning herself in the process and also had to be hospitalised. Kirsty’s sister Samantha Theologo claimed the group ran away,leaving her sister and the other girl to walk two kilometres to seek for help. 

“I wasn’t home, but my mom told me she found my sister in the bathroom washing her face,” she was quoted as saying. “My mom said it was horrific.”

Read More...

S.African minister’s wife jailed for drug trafficking

Sheryl Cwele, the wife of South Africa’s intelligence minister, was fired Tuesday from her senior municipal job after being sentenced to 12 years in jail for drug trafficking.

“She has been dismissed as per the recommendation of the chairperson of the internal disciplinary hearing. The executive committee today went with the recommendation,” said municipal spokesman Simon Soboyisa.

Cwele was charged with misconduct by the Hibiscus Coast Municipality, south of Durban, where she was director of health and community services after she was found guilty of hiring young women as mules.

“She was found guilty on all charges,” Soboyisa told AFP about the verdict which was accepted by the municipality’s executive committee Tuesday.

“The municipality dismissed her but we have received an indication from her lawyer that they will appealing the decision.”

Cwele is also appealing her sentencing in May alongside a Nigerian, Frank Nabolisa, who was also jailed for 12 years by the Pietermaritzburg High Court in the eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal.


Read other news

Read More...